Middleboro Review 2: POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Progressives' inflection point

Thursday, September 14, 2023

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Progressives' inflection point

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‘PIVOT POINT’ — Progressive candidates came out on top in three of Boston’s four preliminary City Council elections. So why are some progressives so upset?

Self-identified progressives Enrique Pepén and Ben Weber topped the ticket in Districts 5 and 6, respectively, with more than 40 percent of the vote apiece . Incumbent City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson crushed her competition in District 7 with 57 percent.

But in Pepén and Weber’s victories came Kendra Lara and Ricardo Arroyo’s defeats. Progressive groups including JP Progressives and Progressive West Roxbury/Roslindale had rallied behind the embattled incumbents. The two Progressive Massachusetts chapters urged voters not to let the councilors’ controversies overshadow their work advancing progressive policies through City Hall.

Voters didn’t listen.

Depending on which progressives you ask, Tuesday’s results were either a direct repudiation of two once-promising politicians dragged down by their scandals or, according to Lara and her supporters, an outcome driven by “misleading” “narratives” about her late-June car crash perpetuated by the police, the media and other members of the council . Others argue that Lara and Arroyo were caught up in unfair pushback against councilors of color on a legislative body that’s seen racial tensions run high this term.

Regardless of the reasons why, Lara and Arroyo’s losses stand as the latest setback for some of the city and state’s most prominent progressive groups that also watched every candidate they backed in last year’s state primaries lose . Each were different races with different circumstances, and progressives continue to hold prominent positions in local and state government and shape policy conversations in both. But it’s a track record that’s raising questions about the direction of the movement and, more acutely, the messaging and efficacy of Boston’s loudest progressive groups.

“We definitely need to reconsider the direction the movement’s going in , the way we're advocating and participating in electoral politics, and figure out why our messaging is no longer connecting in the same way,” state Rep. Sam Montaño , who was endorsed by JP Progressives in last year’s House races, told Playbook. “We are in this pivot point.”

Not all Boston progressives are ready to have that conversation yet — if they have it at all. Those who supported Lara and Arroyo are still grappling with their losses. "It's worth pausing to honor councilors Arroyo and Lara for advancing an important array of policy that really helps people,” Rachel Poliner of Progressive West Roxbury/Roslindale told Playbook. Eventually, she said, her group will debrief.

Boston’s splintered progressives don’t have long to regroup. The general election is just eight weeks away. And their new standard-bearers, Pepén and Weber, are facing stiff competition from Jose Ruiz , who’s backed by former mayor Marty Walsh , and William King , respectively.

Pepén, at least, has the city’s highest-ranking progressive, Mayor Michelle Wu , in his corner. And she's rejecting the idea that Tuesday's results were an indictment of progressives' power in Boston.

“The two candidates who received the most number of votes in each of those races also define themselves as people who are interested in not settling for what has been, pushing for what’s needed, and doing so in a way that can really be effective and get things done,” Wu told reporters yesterday.

GOOD THURSDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Tips? Scoops? Election debriefs? Email us: lkashinsky@politico.com and kgarrity@politico.com .

TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll mark the start of universal free school meals at noon at Snug Harbor Elementary in Quincy. Healey is on Spanish Radio at Fenway Park at 7 p.m. and attends the ALX100 Honoree Reception at 8 p.m. in Boston. Driscoll hosts a Governor’s Council on Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence and Human Trafficking meeting at 2 p.m. in Southbridge. Wu hosts a storm preparedness press conference at 11 a.m. at City Hall. House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark is on WBUR’s “Radio Boston” at 11 a.m.

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MIGRANTS IN MASSACHUSETTS

Immigrants gather with their belongings outside St. Andrews Episcopal Church, Wednesday Sept. 14, 2022, in Edgartown, Mass., on Martha's Vineyard. | Ray Ewing/Vineyard Gazette via AP

— MARTHA’S VINEYARD AFTERMATH: It's been one year since 49 migrants arrived unexpectedly on Martha’s Vineyard on flights orchestrated by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. The political stunt prompted an outpouring of support in Massachusetts — and put a spotlight on immigration issues in the state that have exploded in the months since.

The flights triggered lawsuits against the DeSantis administration, including a federal one still pending in Massachusetts. A Texas sheriff — the migrants were sent from San Antonio — filed charges . Federal agencies launched probes of Florida’s transport program and whether the DeSantis administration misused pandemic relief funds to pay for the flights.

Sen. Ed Markey, who requested the latter review, told Playbook yesterday that DeSantis “must be held accountable for misusing funds and misleading migrants as part of his sick, so-called ‘relocation program.’”

Fast forward to now, and migrants have overwhelmed the state's emergency shelter system. Gov. Maura Healey declared an emergency last month and deployed National Guard members this week. There are now some 6,400 families in the shelter system — more than a third of which, the state estimates, are migrants.

Healey is asking state lawmakers for $250 million in one-time funds to bolster the shelter system as part of a $2 billion supplemental budget she filed yesterday to close out the last fiscal year. That’s on top of the $85 million she secured from them earlier this year and the $325 million built into the state budget. Healey’s latest ask comes as the state spends $45 million a month on shelter and services for families.

One year after “DeSantis’ shameful political stunt,” Healey said in a statement to Playbook that she’s reminded of the “kindness, compassion and resiliency” Bay Staters showed then and now as dozens of communities host migrants in hotels, motels and even college dormitories.

— AND YET: "Cities across Mass. say they need more help from the state to support migrant families," by Sarah Betancourt, GBH News.

— “‘Like a horrible movie’: State officials were warned about safety issues with migrant shelter that caught fire,” by Samantha J. Gross, Boston Globe: “A Sutton hotel housing migrant families caught fire Wednesday, sending one hotel employee to the hospital, nearly a week after a state senator raised safety concerns about the building with Governor Maura Healey.”

— “Venezuelan migrants reunite on Martha's Vineyard a year after unexpected arrival,” by Gwenn Friss, Cape Cod Times.

GO INSIDE THE WORLD’S BIGGEST DIPLOMATIC PLATFORM WITH UNGA PLAYBOOK: The 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly will jam some of the world's most influential leaders into four city blocks in Manhattan. POLITICO's special edition UNGA Playbook will take you inside this important gathering starting Sept. 17 — revealing newsy nuggets throughout the week and insights into the most pressing issues facing global decision-makers today. Sign up for UNGA Playbook .

DATELINE BEACON HILL

— DEAR JOE: Democratic state Sen. Jamie Eldridge and state Rep. Steven Owens , the co-chairs of the Legislature’s Clean Energy Caucus, are asking their colleagues to sign onto a letter urging President Joe Biden to declare a climate emergency. Eighteen lawmakers have signed on so far. Read the letter.

— “Healey directs state agencies to knock down language barriers,” by Katie Lannan, GBH News: “Gov. Maura Healey marked the upcoming Hispanic Heritage Month with a mariachi band, a visit from diplomats and a new directive for state agencies to improve how they reach residents with limited English proficiency.”

FROM THE HUB

— “Wu unveils plans to revamp Boston’s decades-old rules for what can be built where,” by Catherine Carlock and Andrew Brinker, Boston Globe: “The overhaul will start with restructuring the Boston Planning and Development Agency’s planning department to create teams focused on zoning reform and compliance, with the hopes of relying less on the Zoning Board of Appeal in the future.”

— “With field set for November elections, familiar political battle lines take shape,” by Emma Platoff, Danny McDonald and Travis Andersen, Boston Globe: “[S]everal general election matchups feature a candidate claiming the progressive lane, in many cases linked with Mayor Michelle Wu, versus an opponent seen as more moderate, some of whom have won the support of Wu’s predecessor and shadow rival, Martin J. Walsh.”

THE RACE FOR CITY HALL

— “Mayoral candidate Guy Cooper to seek recount,” by Mike LaBella, Eagle-Tribune: “Guy Cooper, who received 10 fewer votes than second-place finisher Scott Wood Jr. in the mayoral preliminary election on Tuesday, plans to request a recount.”

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PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

— “T acknowledges three new near-misses this summer after federal criticism for sloppy safety,” by Taylor Dolven and Laura Crimaldi, Boston Globe: “Trains came dangerously close to workers on the MBTA’s subway tracks at least three times in the last five weeks, a particularly galling failure just months after federal regulators ordered the agency to better protect its workers or face restrictions on access to its tracks.”

DAY IN COURT

— “State’s high court will decide whether Hampden DA doing enough to protect defendant rights,” by Stephanie Barry, MassLive: “Civil liberties lawyers made their case Wednesday that the Hampden district attorney is not playing fair with defendants whose prosecutions may be marred by past Springfield police misconduct.”

DATELINE D.C.

— THAT’S A WRAP FOR ROMNEY: Former Massachusetts governor and Utah U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney won’t run for a second term in 2024, ending a storied political career that spanned two states with a call for “a new generation of leaders.”

More: “Why Mitt Romney decided to hang it up — and why he thinks Biden should too,” by Burgess Everett, POLITICO: “Though Romney was undecided until recently on 2024, he said he concluded that a rematch between Biden and former President Donald Trump would be too much to bear.”

And more: “What Mitt Romney saw in the Senate,” by McKay Coppins, The Atlantic.

— GRONK ON THE HILL: Former Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski met Rep. Jim McGovern and other lawmakers on Capitol Hill this week, POLITICO’s Mia McCarthy writes in.

Gronkowski was there for a Valley Fever Task Force briefing. But talk, of course, turned to football. And if McGovern had his way, Gronk would have finished out his career in New England. “I wish we had him on Sunday,” McGovern told Playbook. Pics.

— “Pressley keeping a close eye on banks amid branch pullbacks,” by Gintautas Dumcius, Dorchester Reporter.

Enter the “room where it happens”, where global power players shape policy and politics, with Power Play. POLITICO’s brand-new podcast will host conversations with the leaders and power players shaping the biggest ideas and driving the global conversations, moderated by award-winning journalist Anne McElvoy. Sign up today to be notified of the first episodes in September – click here .

WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD BE READING

— “Former Worcester City Manager Augustus shelved investigation that implicated police chief,” by Brad Petrishen, Telegram & Gazette: “Former Police Chief Steven M. Sargent was untruthful about a 2019 driving dispute in which a city resident claimed Sargent had been drinking, an independent investigator ruled in a 2020 report whose conclusions were disregarded by then-City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr., [now Gov. Maura Healey’s housing secretary].”

— FIVE YEARS LATER: Gas explosions rocked the Merrimack Valley five years ago this week, and the aftershocks are still reverberating through Lawrence, Andover and North Andover. Federal lawmakers marked the anniversary by calling for tougher federal pipeline safety rules , and Sen. Ed Markey introduced the Penalizing and Improving Prevention of Emergencies (PIPE) Act .

— “‘Housing rights are human rights’: Rallygoers in Holyoke call for state changes for renters; mayor promises new tenant protection office,” by Alexander MacDougall, Daily Hampshire Gazette.

MEANWHILE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

— “Top New Hampshire election official says he has no legal basis for keeping Trump off the ballot,” by Kelly Garrity, POLITICO.

— “Dems set to (again) take a pass on deciding fate of New Hampshire’s primary,” by Holly Otterbein and Lisa Kashinsky, POLITICO.

— "Haley gets a bounce in New Hampshire – right into the veepstakes," by Lisa Kashinsky, POLITICO.

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HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Elizabeth Warren alum and the DNC’s Roger Lau, Ted Gup, Victoria Esser, Julia Murray and Alex Pratt.

NEW HORSE RACE ALERT: SLOW COMMOTION — Hosts Jennifer Smith and Lisa Kashinsky break down Boston and Springfield's preliminary election results. Host Steve Koczela and MassINC Polling Group research director Rich Parr share their latest MBTA polling. Subscribe and listen on iTunes and Sound Cloud .

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